Using your Five Senses to Stay Ahead of the Game

While you may want to sit back and watch the game from the sideline, if it’s your game, it’s time to put your best effort forward to win. And we’re not talking your standard round of sitting on the couch playing Candy Crush, we’re talking business. Staying ahead of the game is important for those who want to succeed, but if you come to your senses it will be a lot more straightforward. Using the same five senses you use to live in your everyday life, hearing, touch, taste, smell and sight, you’ll not only stay ahead in the game, but master it too. Whether you’re hearing new ideas, touching your products, seeing your vision statement, smelling a bad idea or tasting success, you’ll be whooping the ass of the competition.

Hearing: It’s time to clean the wax out of your ears. If you want to have any sort of a chance at being successful in business, you need to use your listening skills. Just like your parents told you as a kid, it’s important to listen. Listen to what your clients want, listen to new ideas and industry trends, and listen to feedback both good and bad. The more you’re able to take note of these external sources, the better you’ll be able to shape your business.

If you don’t know how to listen, then now is the time to take a cold hard look at yourself and learn how it can positively influence your business, be it product development, a marketing plan, or B2B interactions. If you always have an ear out for new ideas, you’ll stay on top of the game. You don’t have to act on every suggestion that comes your way, or branch out into new trends just because you’ve heard about them, but you do have to take them into consideration and see why they work for some business models. The more you listen to the market, the more you’ll be on top of the pulse.

In a digital world, there is little dimension.

Touch: In a digital world, there is little dimension. Think about how your product touches your clients (in a non-pervy way… unless you’re selling x-rated products, in which case, have at it). Make it reach beyond the computer screen and into their offices and living rooms. Make the virtual world more tactile. Let people know how your product will impact them, whether it is a time saving program that will streamline their business practices or the comfiest pair of socks known to mankind.

Figure out how what you have to offer will affect their lives. Figure out a way to break through the digital wall and let your product touch people. Be it literally, through letting potential customers physically touch or sample your product, or figuratively, through demonstrations of how you can benefit them. Offer a virtual experience that lets people feel what it is like to use your product, or explore your website to make it feel like they are there.

Taste: Don’t be afraid to try new things and sample what’s going on in the market. While every idea won’t be a success, just like every new food you try you won’t like, you won’t move ahead if you don’t experiment. Obviously you can’t try everything that comes your way, but weigh your options and try something that seems like it could fit your tastes. And you can’t just taste something and spit it out if you don’t like it, give it a fair chance to grow on you and to grow your business and product. You’ll be tasting success before you know it.

And don’t do all the tasting yourself, either. Give your target demographic a taste of what you have to offer. Save the full serving for when they become customers, but tempt them into your product and services with just a taste of the flavor your company has to offer. Whether through your branding and marketing, or through introducing your product through samples or trials, let them get a taste to keep them coming back for more.

Have a vision for what you’d like to accomplish.

Sight: Look ahead to how you plan on winning the game. Have a vision for what you’d like to accomplish. If you set forth in business without a vision, you will never know if you’re a success or not. As long as you have an end vision, you don’t have to know every detail along the way, because a strong sight of what you want will help guide you along the way. Always look to the future and look for ways that you can grow and expand your company.

Keep your eyes open for new ways to succeed, and educate yourself completely in your field. See problems before they arise, and see solutions before you need them. A sight for success will guide you to success. Sight is also important in the sense that you have to keep your eyes open for what is going on around you. See what kind of industry trends are popping up around you, and see how they can apply to you. Staying aware will help you to move ahead and see how your plans will pan out.

Smell: They say the nose knows best. So let your nose guide you to good ideas and away from bad ones. Keep things fresh and don’t let your company get stale. But more importantly than that, don’t forget to breathe. You can’t enjoy your endeavor because you’re stressed and not taking a moment to recognize what you and your team are working towards. Stop and smell the roses every now and then to let you clear your senses.

And don’t forget to clean out the company fridge once in awhile because things can get pretty rank after a while. That’s important.

Now that you’ve applied your basic senses to the concept of getting ahead of the game, you’ll probably find that it doesn’t seem like such a daunting task. Using simple applications of senses you’re already familiar with, you’ll be basking in the glory of success before you know it.